10 things to consider before getting a new dog

Having a new dog is one of the most beautiful experience ever. Your life will literally change as it did for me as well at the first time. But I have seen too many irresponsible people letting their dog dying little by little by not giving the proper care and attention. For that reason, I would like to help those new owners to make the right decision for the sake of the dog and even for you since your life will change drastically (in a good and bad way depending on if you are ready for this new life).

First, it’s important to know dogs are very similar as children. If you understand this, you will be the perfect daddy or mommy for your new dog that is just waiting for so much love.

Let’s have a look:

1#. Barking. Dog barks. I mean, always bark. So if this is something that you cannot handle, please consider. If you plan to do throat surgery to remove the voice which is so barbaric in my opinion or keep your dog in a cage all day long just because of the annoying barking sound, it means you are not made to have a dog.

2#. Money. Yes, taking care of a dog is very expensive. What i mean by that is you will have to make an annual checkup at the vet and every time your dog will have a problem, you will have to visit the vet again. (Same as children).This is important to note it because most of the people think a dog can take care of themselves which is not true. There is always a little “bobo” soon or later and most of the time, it won’t fix by itself so you will need some help from the vet if this is required and they charge money, sometimes, lot of money …

3#. Dogs are not a trophy. Many young people get a dog just because it’s cute but in reality. They don;t take care so much. I traveled the world meeting people with dogs and i often see some 20’s ladies in Japan or China having mini toy dogs for fun. But they are never home and keep them in a cage all day long. They don’t even walk their dog. All they do is showing them off to people as a trophy. So please consider if this is your purpose.

4#. Building a family while having a dog. This is a very common problem in today’s society. When a family gets their first child, they stop taking care of the dog and this, this is a very big problem. Quickly, Your dog will develop jealousy and anxiety and even health problem. If you plan to stop taking care of your dog just because you are building your family, then please really consider your decision because i have seen way too many time people stop caring for their dog and switch all the love to the baby. I even have seen some people kicking out their dog outside of the house as soon as they got their first newborn. Or even worst, some people even put their dog asleep (euthanasia) because they didn’t want it anymore for multiple reasons. Problem is their reason are always valid in their opinion. That is why you need to understand what is it to have a new dog in the family.

5#.This, this is for new parents: if you are about to have your first newborn, your dog might suddenly start peeing in the house for no reason. This might be very annoying and time-consuming but this can be fixed easily. This is caused by the sudden lack of attention and care as well. Changing your schedule to nighttime will affect your dogs too. A newborn required to stay awake at night if needed and your dog will follow your new schedule even if you don’t want. This will unbalance your dog’s life very much. Of course, you can’t make everybody happy but at least giving the same love and attention to your dog might help. Just think your dog as another child. Another tip is having a potty pad inside the home, that will help greatly and consider the pad to be on the same floor as where your dog is sleeping for easy access.

6#. Walking your dog. If you can’t walk your dog every day or at least 4 times per week, trust me, you are not made to have a dog so please consider.

7#.I am never at home. If you are always working outsideleaving your dog alone all day, then it’s better to not have a dog. If you wonder why, it’s because leaving a dog alone so long time will create anxiety and this is something you don’t want to handle, trust me. Anxiety is the root of so many problems even with aggressivity … A dog needs to sleep at least 9 hours per day so yes, if you work during the day, your dog will sleep. However, many people stay outside and come back late and this is the problem. The dog needs to be walked, needs to eat and mostly, need to poo and pee. If you are never home, how can your dog do all these things? It’s all about opinion but with my own experience, dogs need brain stimulation at least once a day. If the only thing your dog did today was sleeping and waiting for you, your dog will start to be bored and this will lead to more problem in the long run.

8#.Food. This one is my opinion with my own experience. If you are ok to cook for your dog, you are definitely made to be a dog’s parent because preparing raw food will make your dog healthy which means less visit to the vet. The shortcut is dry food but when your dog will reach 3 or 4 years old, it will be inevitable, you will start to see some problem in bones, vision, teeth and so on … Meaning money to the vet, again.

9#. Patience. Oh yes, it takes a LOT of patience, trust me. I guess this point is one of the most important. You cannot beat or harm your dog because he keeps barking or do something you don’t like. If you are embarrassed in public because your dog is barking non-stop, you are definitely not made to own a dog.Potty training, barking training, walking training, cooking … all these stuff that must be considered to be normal if you are a new dog’s parent MUST and should be normal to you. If not, you are not made to be a dog’s owner.

I can’t emphasize more on this word, this is crucial to understand this. Bringing back the dog to a shelter won’t be a solution. If you decide to get your new dog, it will be for at least 12 years …

A dog can leave from 10 to 18 years!

Also, I strongly recommend adopting instead of buying a dog at the pet shop. Trust me, without going too much in details, you will end up much happier. We all want to avoid pet shop and puppy mills so the best way is to ask a good reference for someone raising dogs. (A breeder with good references)

10#. Equal love when owning two and more dogs. Seems obvious but you simply can’t love more one dog than the other. They will feel it and develop jealousy leading to aggressivity in the long run. If you have one, two, three or more dogs, share your love equally and they will reward you very well.

By the way, I strongly recommend owning “maximum” two dogs if this is your first time since it will overload you with tons of work.

11#. Euthanasia. This is my opinion but if you are an animal lover, you probably understand that you cannot get rid of a dog as soon as you‘re not happy. Being sick, behavior changes, welcoming a newborn in the family are just part of life but certainly not a good reason the end life of your dog.

As an example, I knew someone who got his first child but because his dog started to pee in the house for the sudden lack of attention, he simply put down his dog. Please, be aware of this situation even before you decide to get your new dog.

Let say it this way:

LOVE + GOOD FOOD + EXCERCISE = Healthy and happy dog

Best dog’s type of owner?

Everybody can have a dog and as long as you are enough responsible, everything will just go smoothly. However, if you ask me who is the perfect type of dog’s owner? Here my answer:

People working from home

People aged over 25 years old (Old enough to be responsible)

Single people with no kids (I know, this will make some people angry but it’s true, people with no family can give 1000% of their love and care to the dog. This is just the perfect type of person. And be aware that some kids hurt dogs and parents never say anything. This is only some cases of course.)

If you decide to welcome a new dog, your life will change into a very beautiful experience. probably the most amazing and the most touching experience you will ever feel. I can even say it will change you completely. The dog can be a baby or even an old dog from a shelter. Whatever your decision, this experience will change your life forever, trust my words.